Lukov Lu-54
Not to be confused with the Lukov JF-54 The Lukov Lu-54 ''Naperstyanka'' (Наперстянка; "Foxglove") is a single-seat, twin-engine stealth jet multirole fighter aircraft developed by the Tabi'atstani Lukov Design Bureau. Development The Lu-54 project began in 1998 in tandem with the KeB-52. Development was affected by the chaos of the Second Tabi'atstani Civil War, although after the election of Louis Chan as President in 2003 the project received renewed funding and support from the government with a prototype being completed in 2007. The aircraft's first flight occurred on the DAY MONTH 2012. In November 2017, Tabi'atstani state media announced that the Lu-54 was ready for mass production and had been introduced into service in the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Air Force. Design The Lu-54 has a long and wide fuselage, with chiseled nose section and a frameless canopy, all-moving canard surfaces with pronounced dihedral are placed behind the intakes, delta wings, and an all-moving V-tail. The aircraft makes use of a tricycle landing gear configuration with a nose landing gear leg and two main landing gear legs, with the weapons bay being placed on the underside of the fuselage on the sides and underside of the middle fuselage. The nose and canopy use a similar stealth shaping design as the F-22 to reduce the aircraft's radar signature from the front. 36% of the fuselage is made from carbon fibre composites, 24% is composed of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy, 3% is Ti-62222 titanium alloy, 16% is made of steel, 16% is aluminium alloy, and 1% is made from Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics. The remaining parts are primarily paints, wheels, brakes, and other equipment. The Lu-54 is powered by two Russian Lyulka-Saturn AL-31FN turbofan engines with each giving a maximum static thrust of 12,500 kgf, similar to the Sukhoi Su-27. The engines are equipped with jagged-edge nozzles and heat-ablating tiles to dissipate heat and increase its stealth characteristics. The aircraft has 14 moveable flight control surfaces controlled by a central management computer system. The Lu-54 has been demonstrated to have a superior high angle of attack (AoA) performance compared to American aircraft of the Teen Series. The aircraft's internal armament consists of a Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 autocannon, with other weaponry and equipment being mounted on 4 internal and 6 external hardpoints, to which 8,000 kg of either missiles and bombs, drop-tanks containing fuel, or other equipment such as avionics pods can be attached. It is equipped with a multi-mode fire-control radar with a mechanically scanned planar array antenna which is capable of simultaneously tracking 10 aircraft and engaging 4 of these. Operational history Variants *'Lu-54A' - Single-seat multi-role variant *'Naval Lu-54 variant' - A planned carrier-borne variant of the Lu-54 Operators *'Tabi'atstan' **Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Air Force Specifications General characteristics *'Crew:' 1 *'Length:' 19.8 m *'Wingspan:' 15.2 m *'Height:' 3.6 m *'Max. takeoff weight:' 31,000 kg *'Powerplant:' 2 × Saturn-Lyulka AL-31FN Performance *'Cruising speed:' Mach 1.6 *'Maximum speed:' Mach 2.2 *'Combat radius:' 1,500 km *'Ferry range:' 3,400 km *'Service ceiling:' 25,800 m Armament *'Guns:' 1 × 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 autocannon with 150 rounds *'Hardpoints:' 4 internal and 6 external hardpoints with a capacity of 8,000 kg of stores and provisions **'Missiles:' ***R-77 air-to-air missiles Avionics *Pulse-doppler fire-control radar Category:Tabi'atstan Category:Military of Tabi'atstan Category:Tabi'atstani aircraft Category:Lukov aircraft